NORTHERN Ireland’s education system is undergoing unprecedented reform, reshaping the curriculum, qualifications, attendance, inclusion, teacher professional learning, governance, youth work, funding and wider structures.

Reform is necessary: schools face growing mental health difficulties among pupils and staff, persistent inequalities, increasing complexity of need, workload pressures and financial constraints.

The question is not whether reform is required, but what it should ultimately achieve for children and young people.

TransformED offers an opportunity to improve educational outcomes while creating environments where children feel safe, included, supported and able to thrive.

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Yet limited attention appears to have been given to how these environments are created.

TransformED appears to represent a significant departure from the emphasis in two landmark independent expert reviews, A Fair Start and the Independent Review of Education, both of which highlighted early years, emotional health and wellbeing, support for disadvantaged pupils and strong leadership as important to tackling educational underachievement.

The current emphasis is instead on curriculum, assessment, qualifications, school improvement, educational disadvantage and high quality teacher professional........

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